TheCareerGrid

We spend so much time telling candidates how to impress employers, but companies seem to forget they’re being assessed too.

I was reading about how much the candidate experience has changed and it made me think about how bad some recruitment processes still are.

You land on a careers page, create an account, upload your CV, then get asked to manually enter the exact information that’s already on your CV. You apply and hear nothing. Or you interview three times, meet half the company and then get a generic rejection email two weeks later.

And somehow we’re still surprised when candidates complain about the process?

I’ve worked in this space for over 15 years and I’ve always believed an interview goes both ways. I’m deciding whether I want to hire you, but you should absolutely be deciding whether you want to work for me.

That’s why candidate experience matters more than companies sometimes realise.

Your careers page, job ad, recruiter, interview process and even how you reject someone are all telling candidates what it might be like to work there.

And yes, I know the market is tough right now. Some companies are getting hundreds or thousands of applications, and AI is being brought in to help manage that volume. I get it.

But don’t confuse having lots of candidates with having unlimited good talent.

Markets change.

The people you’re rejecting today might be exactly the people you’re trying to attract in two years.

And for candidates, there’s a lesson here too.

Pay attention.

If the process is chaotic, nobody can explain the role, communication is terrible and you’re constantly chasing people for answers, don’t ignore it just because you really want the job.

It doesn’t automatically mean it’s a bad company. But it’s information.

We tell candidates all the time that first impressions matter.

Companies don’t get a free pass on theirs.

Have a workplace or talent related question for the team at TheCareerGrid? We would LOVE to hear from you! Contact us at info@thecareergrid.com